Vancouverites vent at Baird

For more than three hours Monday night, Rep. Brian Baird was verbally flogged by hundreds of his constituents for no longer supporting the quick withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

More than 500 people packed a high school auditorium in Vancouver while another 175 or so were unable to get inside. And virtually everyone who got a chance to address the Vancouver Democrat were harshly critical - including several who said they had been long-time supporters and friends.

"You have just broken my heart," said Phil Massey, a Vancouver ship's pilot who wasn't swayed by Baird's explanation that the U.S. was finally starting to make some progress in bringing peace to Iraq. "You have screwed up, my friend. You have screwed up and you have to change course."

That was two hours into the meeting and the crowd was still loaded for bear as the room broke into loud applause. At several points in the evening, Baird simply leaned against the stage with his arms folded, his head down as he let the crowd vent. But he also vigorously disputed several points made by the speakers and defended his independence from the Bush administration. He insisted that he is taking the courageous path.

"The easiest thing in the world would have been to go over there...and just say, using partisan rhetoric, 'Get out now,'" he said.

This was the first of two town halls Baird is holding in the wake of his about-face on Iraq earlier this month after returning from a trip to the Mideast. His new support for the surge has attracted national headlines and been prominently cited by Republican House leaders as a sign that the U.S. troop surge was starting to pay dividends. Baird, who voted in 2002 against giving President Bush authority to go to war, will also meet constituents at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Cowlitz County Expo Center in Longview.

While some people left the Vancouver meeting saying they respected Baird's sincerity, the town hall had to have been a particularly brutal experience for the congressman. At several points, he pleaded with the crowd to let him finish his explanation. One woman told him the blood of the troops was now on his hands, and several said he was violating the wishes of his constituents.

Some of the angriest comments came from Vietnam veterans. "I was part of another surge in 1968 (in Vietnam), based on another pack of lies," said Vancouver resident Bob Goss, who served in the Army there. "I really think it's time to get out."

As the evening wore on, Baird repeatedly insisted that Iraq would descend into worse chaos if the U.S. withdrew precipitously, with Iran gaining greater influence. "I think the probability is 95 percent if we withdraw prematurely, in our hearts we will live to regret it," he said.

Baird said industries are starting to reopen and things are starting to get better. "We're putting people back to work and that is good news," he said.

"I am truly impressed by Brian's willingness to stand here and take it gracefully," said Joy Overstreet, a Vancouver writer, as the meeting passed the two-hour mark. But she said she would consider voting out the congressmen next year if there is a "viable alternative."

"It could well cost me the next election," Baird said at the end of the meeting. "That's alright."

There were, however, some hints that Baird's new stance also had attracted some people. Bill Turlay, a Vancouver Republican and Navy veteran, said he hadn't voted for Baird before. But he said he was impressed by Baird's new stance on Iraq and said, "I'm going to seriously consider him next year."